To position first and second sensor units easily at adequate positions simply by an operation for fixing a fitting to given piping. A first fitting for a first sensor unit and a second fitting for a second sensor unit are provided. The first and second fittings include a pair of arm portions configured to regulate relative position between the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit in a circumferential direction of the piping, and a guide portion formed at least on the arm portions, and configured to guide relative positioning between the first fitting and the second fitting in an axial direction of the piping according to a diameter of the piping.
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1. An ultrasonic flow sensor comprising:
a first sensor unit including a first ultrasonic device which performs at least one of transmission of ultrasonic waves to a fluid flowing in piping or reception of ultrasonic waves from the fluid flowing in the piping;
a second sensor unit including a second ultrasonic device which performs at least the other one of transmission of ultrasonic waves to a fluid flowing in the piping or reception of ultrasonic waves from the fluid flowing in the piping;
a calculation part configured to calculate a flow rate of the fluid in the piping by obtaining a time difference between times required for ultrasonic waves to propagate from an upstream side to a downstream side and from the downstream side to the upstream side of the fluid flowing in the piping based on output signals from the first ultrasonic device and the second ultrasonic device;
a first fitting configured to accommodate the first sensor unit and fix the first sensor unit to the piping, the first fitting including a first position regulating portion configured to come into contact with an outer peripheral surface of the piping so as to align orientation of the first ultrasonic device with respect to the second ultrasonic device in an axial direction of the piping when viewing in a radial direction of the piping and a first housing portion configured to accommodate the first sensor unit from the opposite side of the piping with respect to the first position regulating portion; and
a second fitting configured to accommodate the second sensor unit and fix the second sensor unit to the piping, the second fitting including a second position regulating portion configured to come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the piping so as to align orientation of the second ultrasonic device with respect to the first ultrasonic device in the axial direction of the piping when viewing in the radial direction of the piping, and a second housing portion configured to accommodate the second sensor unit from the opposite side of the piping with respect to the second position regulating portion,
wherein the first and second fittings further include: a pair of first and second arm portions extending from one of the first housing portion and the second housing portion to the other to regulate the relative position between the first housing portion and the second housing portion in a circumferential direction of the piping on both sides of a plane including the axial line of the piping, the first ultrasonic device, and the second ultrasonic device; and a guide portion formed at least on the arm portions and configured to guide relative positioning between the first fitting and the second fitting in the axial direction of the piping according to a diameter of the piping.
13. A method of attaching an ultrasonic flow sensor comprising:
preparing the ultrasonic flow sensor including a first sensor unit including a first ultrasonic device which performs at least one of transmission of ultrasonic waves to a fluid flowing in piping and reception of ultrasonic waves from the fluid flowing in the piping;
a second sensor unit including a second ultrasonic device which performs at least the other one of transmission of ultrasonic waves to a fluid flowing in the piping and reception of ultrasonic waves from the fluid flowing in the piping;
a calculation part configured to calculate a flow rate of the fluid in the piping by obtaining a time difference between times required for ultrasonic waves to propagate from an upstream side to a downstream side and from the downstream side to the upstream side of the fluid flowing in the piping;
a first fitting configured to accommodate the first sensor unit and fix the first sensor unit to the piping, the first fitting including a first position regulating portion configured to come into contact with an outer peripheral surface of the piping so as to align orientation of the first ultrasonic device with respect to the second ultrasonic device in an axial direction of the piping when viewing in a radial direction of the piping and a first housing portion configured to accommodate the first sensor unit from an opposite side of the piping with respect to the first position regulating portion;
a second fitting configured to accommodate the second sensor unit and fix the second sensor unit to the piping, the second fitting including a second position regulating portion configured to come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the piping so as to align orientation of the second ultrasonic device with respect to the first ultrasonic device in the axial direction of the piping when viewing in the radial direction of the piping, and a second housing portion configured to accommodate the second sensor unit from the opposite side of the piping with respect to the second position regulating portion; and
a fixing member configured to press and fix the first fitting and the second fitting with respect to the piping,
wherein the first and second fittings further include: a pair of arm portions extending from one of the first housing portion and the second housing portion to the other to regulate the relative position between the first housing portion and the second housing portion in a circumferential direction of the piping on both sides of a plane including the axial line of the piping, the first ultrasonic device, and the second ultrasonic device; and a guide portion formed at least on the arm portions and configured to guide relative positioning between the first fitting and the second fitting in the axial direction of the piping according to a diameter of the piping;
a first step of provisionally fixing the second sensor unit to the piping by using the second fitting;
a second step of rotating the second fitting in the circumferential direction of the piping after the first step;
a third step of provisionally fixing the first sensor unit to the piping by using the first fitting and adjusting relative position between the first fitting and the second fitting based on an action of information conversion mechanism before the provisional fixation after the second step; and
fixing the first fitting and the second fitting to the piping after the third step.
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The present application claims foreign priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-012040, filed Jan. 26, 2017, the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to, so-called clamp-on ultrasonic flow sensors and, more specifically, to the ultrasonic flow sensors configured to be attachable to and detachable from peripheral surfaces of piping, and a method of attaching the same.
Ultrasonic flow sensors are used for measuring a flow rate of a fluid flowing in piping. JP-A-2000-46607 discloses a clamp-on ultrasonic flow sensor which enables retrofitting on an outer peripheral surface of the piping, and a fitting thereof. The fitting enables the clamp-on ultrasonic flow sensor to be installed on the piping having various diameters.
JP-A-2000-46607 discloses embodiments in which first and second sensor units are arranged in a V-shape and in a Z-shape. In the V-shaped arrangement, the first and second sensor units are installed on a first mother line of piping at first and second positions apart from each other along a direction of longitudinal axis of the piping. In the Z-shaped arrangement, the first sensor unit is installed at first position on first mother line of the piping, and the second sensor unit is installed on a second mother line that opposes the first mother line in a diameter direction at the second position apart from the aforesaid first position along the direction of the longitudinal axis of the piping.
The fitting disclosed in JP-A-2000-46607 is fixed to the piping with a band. The two sensor portions are accommodated in the fitting for the V-shaped arrangement. In other words, the fitting for the V-shaped arrangement disclosed in JP-A-2000-46607 is configured to position the first and second sensor units at positions apart from each other along the direction of the longitudinal axis of the piping with a single fitting. The fitting in which the two sensor portions are accommodated is fixed to the piping with the band, so that the first and second sensor units are arranged in the V-shape.
A fitting for Z-shaped arrangement accommodates one sensor portion in each fitting. Two of such fittings are provided and each fitting is fixed to the piping with a band. The first fitting is then positioned at the first position on the first mother line of the piping, and the second fitting is positioned at on the second mother line opposing the first mother line in the diameter direction at a second position apart from the first position along the direction of the longitudinal axis of the piping, so that the first and second sensor units are arranged in the Z-shape.
Both in the V-shaped and the Z-shaped arrangements, adequate setting of a relative position between the first and second sensor units is required in order to maintain signal transmission between the first and second sensor units. Referring again to JP-A-2000-46607, the fitting for the V-shaped arrangement includes marks which indicate a distance in the direction of the longitudinal axis.
An operator investigates a distance between the first and second sensor units, in other words, the distance between the first and second sensor units on the first mother line of the piping with parameters such as a diameter of piping to be applied, a wall thickness of the pipe, a fluid to be flowed in the piping. With the obtained value of the adequate distance, positions of the first and second sensor units are determined within the fitting for the V-shaped arrangement by the help of the marks described above. For the Z-shaped arrangement, steps of positioning the first fitting on the first mother line, searching the second mother line opposing the first mother line in the diameter direction, and positioning the second fitting on the second mother line are required are required. Adequate adjustment of the distance between the first fitting and the second fitting along the direction of the longitudinal axis of the piping is also required as a matter of course. Such positioning works take lots of time and labors and user friendliness relating to attachment on the piping is low.
It is an object of the invention to provide a clamp-on ultrasonic flow sensor which allows easy positioning of the first and second sensor units at adequate positions simply by fixing a fitting on given piping.
The technical object described above is achieved by a first aspect of the invention. The first aspect of the invention provides an ultrasonic flow sensor including:
a first sensor unit including a first ultrasonic device which performs at least one of transmission of ultrasonic waves to a fluid flowing in piping and reception of ultrasonic waves from the fluid flowing in the piping;
a second sensor unit including a second ultrasonic device which performs at least the other one of transmission of ultrasonic waves to a fluid flowing in the piping and reception of ultrasonic waves from the fluid flowing in the piping;
a calculation part configured to calculate a flow rate of the fluid in the piping by obtaining a time difference between times required for ultrasonic waves to propagate from an upstream side to a downstream side and from the downstream side to the upstream side of the fluid flowing in the piping based on output signals from the first ultrasonic device and the second ultrasonic device; and optionally, for example, an output part configured to output ON/OFF signals relating to the flow rate of the fluid flowing the piping based on the flow rate calculated by the calculation part and a predetermined flow rate threshold value;
a first fitting configured to accommodate the first sensor unit and fix the first sensor unit to the piping, the first fitting including a first position regulating portion configured to come into contact with an outer peripheral surface of the piping so as to align orientation of the first ultrasonic device with respect to the second ultrasonic device in an axial direction of the piping when viewing in a radial direction of the piping and a first housing portion configured to accommodate the first sensor unit from the opposite side of the piping with respect to the first position regulating portion; and
a second fitting configured to accommodate the second sensor unit and fix the second sensor unit to the piping, the second fitting including a second position regulating portion configured to come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the piping so as to align orientation of the second ultrasonic device with respect to the first ultrasonic device in the axial direction of the piping when viewing in the radial direction of the piping, and a second housing portion configured to accommodate the second sensor unit from the opposite side of the piping with respect to the second position regulating portion,
wherein the first and second fittings further include a pair of first and second arm portions extending from one of the first housing portion and the second housing portion as a base end to the other to regulate the relative position between the first housing portion and the second housing portion in a circumferential direction of the piping on both sides of a plane including the axial line of the piping, the first ultrasonic device, and the second ultrasonic device; and a guide portion formed at least on the arm portions and configured to guide relative positioning between the first fitting and the second fitting in the axial direction of the piping according to a diameter of the piping.
The technical object described above is achieved by a second aspect of the invention. The second aspect of the invention is achieved by a method of attaching an ultrasonic flow sensor including:
preparing the ultrasonic flow sensor including a first sensor unit including a first ultrasonic device which performs at least one of transmission of ultrasonic waves to a fluid flowing in piping and reception of ultrasonic waves from the fluid flowing in the piping;
a second sensor unit including a second ultrasonic device which performs at least the other one of transmission of ultrasonic waves to a fluid flowing in the piping and reception of ultrasonic waves from the fluid flowing in the piping;
a calculation part configured to calculate a flow rate of the fluid in the piping by obtaining a time difference between times required for ultrasonic waves to propagate from an upstream side to a downstream side and from the downstream side to the upstream side of the fluid flowing in the piping based on output signals from the first ultrasonic device and the second ultrasonic device,
and optionally, for example, an output part configured to output ON/OFF signals relating to the flow rate of the fluid flowing the piping based on the flow rate calculated by the calculation part and a predetermined flow rate threshold value;
a first fitting configured to accommodate the first sensor unit and fix the first sensor unit to the piping, the first fitting including a first position regulating portion configured to come into contact with an outer peripheral surface of the piping so as to align orientation of the first ultrasonic device with respect to the second ultrasonic device in an axial direction of the piping when viewing in a radial direction of the piping and a first housing portion configured to accommodate the first sensor unit from the opposite side of the piping with respect to the first position regulating portion;
a second fitting configured to accommodate the second sensor unit and fix the second sensor unit to the piping, the second fitting including a second position regulating portion configured to come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the piping so as to align orientation of the second ultrasonic device with respect to the first ultrasonic device in the axial direction of the piping when viewing in the radial direction of the piping, and a second housing portion configured to accommodate the second sensor unit from the opposite side of the piping with respect to the second position regulating portion; and
a fixing member configured to press and fix the first fitting and the second fitting with respect to the piping,
wherein the first and second fittings further include: a pair of arm portions extending from one of the first housing portion and the second housing portion as a base end to the other to regulate the relative position between the first housing portion and the second housing portion in a circumferential direction of the piping on both sides of a plane including the axial line of the piping, the first ultrasonic device, and the second ultrasonic device; and a guide portion formed at least on the arm portions and configured to guide relative positioning between the first fitting and the second fitting in the axial direction of the piping according to a diameter of the piping,
a first step of provisionally fixing the second sensor unit to the piping by using the second fitting;
a second step of rotating the second fitting in the circumferential direction of the piping after the first step;
a third step of provisionally fixing the first sensor unit to the piping by using the first fitting and adjusting relative position between the first fitting and the second fitting based on an action of an information conversion mechanism before the provisional fixation after the second step; and
fixing the first fitting and the second fitting to the piping after the third step.
According to the method of attaching of the invention, the first and second sensor units may be positioned at adequate positions only by an operation to fix the fitting to given piping, and a user is allowed to attach the first and second sensor units to the piping in the Z-shaped arrangement in a state of facing the piping.
Other objects and advantageous effects of the invention will be apparent from detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention given below.
Referring to attached drawings, the present invention will be described below. Referring now to
The first fitting 300 includes the first unit housing case 510, a first position regulating portion 302 and a pair of first arm portions 304 extending respectively from both side edges of the first position regulating portion 302. In the specific example illustrated in
The first position regulating portion 302 is in contact with the piping P at a plurality of points CL(1) on both sides of the first unit housing case 510, whereby the orientation of the first unit housing case 510 is aligned with a diameter direction Dm of the piping P. The first position regulating portion 302 extending (having a length) along the axial direction of the piping contributes to align the orientation of the first ultrasonic device provided in the first sensor unit in the first unit housing case 510 with respect to the second ultrasonic device provided in the second sensor unit in the second unit housing case 520 along the axial direction of the piping when viewing the first unit housing case 510 from a radial direction of the piping. In other words, orientations of lines passing through the first ultrasonic device and the second ultrasonic device when viewed in the radial direction of the piping are aligned with the axial direction of the piping.
The second fitting 400 includes the second unit housing case 520, a second position regulating portion 402 and a pair of second arm portions 404 extending respectively from both side edges of the second position regulating portion 402. In the specific example illustrated in
The second position regulating portion 402 is in contact with the piping P at a plurality of positions CL(2) on both sides of the second unit housing case 520, whereby the orientation of the second unit housing case 520 is aligned with the diameter direction Dm of the piping P. The second position regulating portion 402, in the same manner as the first position regulating portion 302, extending (having a length) along the axial direction of the piping contributes to align the orientation of the second ultrasonic device provided in the second sensor unit in the second unit housing case 520 with respect to the first ultrasonic device provided in the first sensor unit in the first unit housing case 510 along the axial direction of the piping when viewing the second unit housing case 520 from the radial direction of the piping. In other words, orientations of the lines passing through the second ultrasonic device and the first ultrasonic device when viewed from the radial direction of the piping are aligned with the axial direction of the piping.
In the specific example illustrated in
Examples of the guide portions include a configuration in which projecting pins provided on the first arm portions 304 are slidable respectively along slit-like guide grooves (inclined with respect to the axial direction of the piping) provided on the second arm portions 404 to guide relative positioning between the first fitting 300 and the second fitting 400 (detailed description will be given later with reference to
Examples of the guide portions also include another configuration in which projecting pins are provided on the first arm portions 304, and inclined walls (walls inclined with respect to the axial direction of the piping) are provided at ends of the second arm portions 404, and relative positioning between the first fitting 300 and the second fitting 400 are guided by moving the first fitting 300 and the second fitting 400 along the axial direction of the piping until the projecting pins are abutted against and stopped by the inclined walls (detailed description will be given later with reference to
The above-described “guide portions” may also be referred to as an “information conversion mechanism” configured to convert the diameter of the piping into a distance between the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit in the axial direction of the piping. Typical examples of the “information conversion mechanism” include slits extending so as to be inclined from the diameter direction of the piping P toward a longitudinal direction of the piping P and pins positioned in the inclined slits as will be described later with reference to
In
A first position regulating portion 352 of the first fitting 350 includes a pair of projection ridges 352a (preferably, rod members having a circular cross section) extending in the longitudinal direction of the piping P, and the pair of ridges 352a come into contact with the piping P to align the orientation of the first unit housing case 510 with the diameter direction DM of the piping P and the axial direction of the piping P.
A second position regulating portion 452 of the second fitting 450 includes a pair of projection ridges 452a (preferably, rod members having a circular cross section) extending in the longitudinal direction of the piping P, and the pair of projection ridges 452a come into contact with the piping P to align the orientation of the second unit housing case 520 with the diameter direction Dm of the piping P and the axial direction of the piping P.
The first and second fittings 350 and 450 include the pair of first and second arm portions 354 and 454 extending respectively from a distal end portion of the first position regulating portion 352 and a distal end portion of the second position regulating portion 452. The overlapped portions OL are provided with the above-described guide portions (or information conversion mechanisms).
In the embodiments illustrated in
For example, the pairs of arm portions may extend from proximal ends of the first position regulating portions 302 and 352 or the second position regulating portions 402 and 452 or may extend from predetermined positions (for example, the intermediate positions) between the proximal end and the distal end. In addition, the pairs of arm portions of the invention do not have to extend from the first position regulating portions 302 and 352 or the second position regulating portions 402 and 452. For example, the pairs of arm portions may extend from the first unit housing case 510 or the second unit housing case 520 instead of extending from the first position regulating portion or the second position regulating portion.
In other words, when considering the first unit housing case 510 and the first position regulating portions 302 and 352 as the “first housing portion” as described above, the arm portions may simply extend from the “first housing portion” as the proximal end. In other words, when considering the second unit housing case 520 and the second position regulating portions 402 and 452 as the “second housing portion” as described above, the arm portions may simply extend from the “second housing portion” as the proximal end.
Moreover, not necessarily both of the proximal ends of the pairs of the arm portions of the invention have to be the “first housing portion”. For example, one of the proximal ends of the pair of arm portions is configured as the “first housing portion”, and the other proximal end may be configured as the “second housing portion”.
Referring now to
A first position regulating portion 362 of the first fitting 360 includes a pair of plate members having a truncated chevron shape and extending in the longitudinal direction of the piping P, and the plate members come into contact with the piping P at the plurality of positions CL (1), so that the orientation of the first unit housing case 510 is aligned with the diameter direction Dm of the piping P and the axial direction of the piping P. A second position regulating portions 462 of the second fitting 460 includes a pair of plate members having a truncated chevron shape and extending in the longitudinal direction of the piping P, and the plate members come into contact with the piping P at the plurality of positions CL(2), so that the orientation of the second unit housing case 520 is aligned with the diameter direction Dm of the piping P and the axial direction of the piping P. Here, in
In
Examples of the guide portions include another configuration in which marks for guiding relative positioning between the first fitting 360 and the second fitting 460 in the axial direction of the piping are formed on the first and second unit housing cases 510 and 520, and slits inclined with respect to the axial direction of the piping are formed on the first arm portion 364 and the second arm portion 464, so that relative position between the first fitting 360 and the second fitting 460 are adjusted while visually checking the marks through the slits. The slits to be formed on the first arm portion 364 and the second arm portion 464 do not necessarily have to be inclined. For example, the plurality of slits extending in the diameter direction of the piping may be arranged along the axial direction of the piping, and the respective slits are coupled to each other in the axial direction of the piping. In other words, slits having a staircase shape when viewing the first arm portion 364 and the second arm portion 464 from the side are formed. Accordingly, the relative position between the first fitting 360 and the second fitting 460 in the axial direction of the piping may be adjusted for the piping having a large diameter and the piping having a small diameter.
As described above, the embodiment of the invention may have various modes. Further specified examples will be described with reference to the drawings such as
A first embodiment is typically is an ultrasonic flow sensor system 1 suitable for the Z-shaped arrangement. The ultrasonic flow sensor system 1 includes first and second fittings 2 and 4 so that first and second sensor units 6 and 8 may be attached to a peripheral surface of piping P by using these two fittings 2 and 4. The first and second fittings 2 and 4 are molds and specifically, metallic press molds. The first and second sensor units 6 and 8 constitute an ultrasonic flow sensor 10. The diameter of the piping P and the fluid flowing in the piping P are not specifically limited for the application of the first embodiment. However, a typical example of application will be listed below.
(1) Diameter of Piping P: approx. 44 mm to approx. 100 mm (suitable diameter of the piping P: approx. 48 mm to approx. 90 mm).
(2) Material of Piping P: steel, SUS, copper, polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
(3) Fluid: water, oil, drug solution, antifreeze (ethylene glycol), coolant
The ultrasonic flow sensor system 1 including the first and second fittings 2 and 4 is configured to be capable of automating various types of positioning relating to the first and second sensor units 6 and 8 to be installed on a peripheral surface of the piping P having given diameter as listed below.
(a) Positioning of the first sensor unit 6 may be automatically achieved by fixing the first fitting 2 to the piping P. With this positioning, the first sensor unit 6 may be oriented in the diameter direction passing through the center of the piping P. (Positioning of First sensor unit 6 in the diameter direction)
(b) Positioning of the second sensor unit 8 may be automatically achieved by fixing the second fitting 4 to the piping P. With this positioning, the second sensor unit 8 may be oriented in the diameter direction passing through the center of the piping P. (Positioning of Second sensor unit 8 in the diameter direction)
(c) The longitudinal axis of the first fitting 2 may be automatically aligned with a first mother line GL1 by fixing the first fitting 2 to the piping P.
(d) The longitudinal axis of the second fitting 4 may be automatically aligned with a second mother line GL2 by fixing the second fitting 4 to the piping P.
(e) The first and second fittings 2 and 4 have a function to convert first information to second information, and the information conversion mechanism is achieved by cooperation of the first and second fittings 2 and 4. The first information is information on the diameter of the piping P. The second information is information on adequate distance between the first and second fittings 2 and 4 along the direction of the longitudinal axis of the piping P. (Proper Calculation of Distance between first and second sensor units 6 and 8 in the axial direction)
(f) In this manner, when the first and second fittings 2 and 4 are fixed to the piping P, the longitudinal axes of the first and second fittings 2 and 4 are automatically aligned with the first mother line GL1 and the second mother line GL2 respectively. The first and second fittings 2 and 4 have a function to position the first sensor unit 6 on the first mother line GL1 (
In other words, assembly of the first and second sensor units 6 and 8 to the piping P using the first and second fittings 2 and 4 may be figured out in the following three phases.
A first phase includes steps (a) and (b), and steps (c) and (d) described above. The first phase includes positioning of the first and second fittings 2 and 4 in the diameter direction of the piping P by pressing the first and second fittings 2 and 4 against the piping P (steps (a) and (b)), then aligning the orientation in the longitudinal direction of the first and second fittings 2 and 4 with the axial direction of the piping P (steps (c) and (d)).
A second phase includes the step (e) described above. The second phase includes sliding the first and second fittings 2 and 4 in the axial direction of the piping P by using the guide portion or the information conversion mechanism, thereby adjusting the relative position between the first and second fittings 2 and 4 in the axial direction of the piping P.
A third phase includes the step (f) described above. The third phase includes fixing the first and second fittings 2 and 4 to the piping P with a band. The band may be a band which binds the first and second fittings 2 and 4 together or may be bands which fix the first fitting 2 and the second fitting 4 individually and independently. With the third phase, the relative positioning between the first and second fittings 2 and 4 in the axial direction of the piping P is achieved.
An analogue signal generated by a transmission signal generating part 22 included in the control unit 12 is supplied to first and second ultrasonic devices 24 and 26 through the transmission amplifying part 16 and through the transmission/reception switching circuit 20, and then the first and second ultrasonic devices 24 and 26 generate ultrasonic wave. The first ultrasonic device 24 is included in the first sensor unit 6. The second ultrasonic device 26 is included in the second sensor unit 8.
The ultrasonic wave generated from the first sensor unit 6 (first ultrasonic device 24) enters a fluid flowing in the piping P. The ultrasonic wave propagated in the fluid is received by the second sensor unit 8 (second ultrasonic device 26), and the second ultrasonic device 26 outputs an analogue signal based on the received ultrasonic wave. The analogue signal output from the second ultrasonic device 26 is supplied to the reception amplifying part 18 through the transmission/reception switching circuit 20.
The reception amplifying part 18 amplifies the analogue signal received from the transmission/reception switching circuit 20 and converts the amplified analogue signal to a digital signal by an A/D conversion circuit. The digital signal is supplied to the control unit 12.
On the other hand, the ultrasonic wave generated by the second sensor unit 8 (second ultrasonic device 26) enters the fluid passing through the piping P (
The reception amplifying part 18 amplifies the analogue signal received from the transmission/reception switching circuit 20 and converts the amplified analogue signal to a digital signal by an A/D conversion circuit. The digital signal is supplied to the control unit 12.
The control unit 12 executes a program stored in the storage unit 14 to realize functions of a signal computing part 30, a flow rate computing part 32, and a comparison/determination part 34. The signal computing part 30 measures time difference Δt based on the digital signal provided by the reception amplifying part 18. The time difference Δt is a difference between a time t1 required until ultrasonic wave output from the first ultrasonic device 24 is received by the second ultrasonic device 26 and a time t2 required until the ultrasonic wave output from the second ultrasonic device 26 is received by the first ultrasonic device 24. The flow rate computing part 32 computes a velocity of the fluid flowing in the piping P based on a predetermined expression based on the time difference Δt measured by the signal computing part 30 and computes a flow rate of the fluid based on another predetermined expression.
In other words, based on output signals from the first ultrasonic device 24 and the second ultrasonic device 26, the flow rate of the fluid in the piping P is calculated by obtaining the time difference Δt between times required for the ultrasonic wave to propagate from an upstream side to a downstream side and from the downstream side to the upstream side of the fluid flowing in the piping P.
The ultrasonic flow sensor 10 includes an operation unit 36 such as a button operated by a user and a display unit 38 including 7-segment LED and a thin display device, and also includes an output unit 40 such as a connector which constitutes an interface with respect to an external apparatus.
A control output based on a preset threshold value (set value) is output to a display of the display unit 38 or to the external apparatus through the output unit 40. In other words, an ON/OFF signal relating to the detected flow rate of the fluid flowing in the piping P is output based on comparison with respect to a predetermined flow rate threshold value. A pulse is output at every integration flow rate. For example, a digital output of a flow rate measurement value is supplied through communication.
Which of the first and second sensor units 6 and 8 is to be mounted with the components described above is arbitrary. A main substrate 42 (
Referring now to
The second fitting portion 4M of the second fitting 4 includes a second position regulating portion 54. A cross-sectional shape of the second position regulating portion 54 will be described later. The second fitting 4 includes a pair of second arm portions 56 extending from both side edge of the second position regulating portion 54 so as to facing each other.
Referring to
When the second fitting 4 is attached to the piping P, the second fitting 4 comes into contact with the piping P at least at two positions CL(2) with the second sensor unit 8, that is, the second mother line GL2 interposed therebetween when viewing the piping P in cross section. Accordingly, the second sensor unit 8 is aligned with the second mother line GL2 (
The second position regulating portion 54 preferably has a symmetrical shape in a cross-section along a direction crossing across the piping P with respect to the second mother line GL2 (
The second arm portions 56 of the second fitting portion 4M have a shape extending from both sides of the second position regulating portion 54 along the both sides of the piping P. Each of the second arm portions 56 includes an inclined slit 58 (
Referring to
The first fitting portion 2M of the first fitting 2 includes a first position regulating portion 60 (
Referring to
In the Z-shaped arrangement, the first sensor unit 6 and the second sensor unit 8 are disposed respectively on the first mother line GL1 and the second mother line GL2 opposing each other in the diameter direction passing through the center of the piping P (
When the first and second sensor units 6 and 8 are attached to the piping P having a given diameter by using the first fitting 2 and the second fitting 4, the pins 64 of the first fitting 2 and the inclined slits 58 of the second fitting 4 constitute elements for realizing the information conversion mechanism. In other words, information on the diameter of the piping P is detected by the first and second fittings 2 and 4 positioned apart from each other in the diameter direction of the piping P, and the information on the diameter of the piping P is converted into information on an adequate distance between the first and second fittings 2 and 4 along the direction of the longitudinal axis Ax(p) of the piping P by the pins 64 movable in the inclined slits 58, so that the relative position of the first and second fittings 2 and 4 in the direction of the longitudinal axis Ax(p) of the piping P is determined, and the first and second fittings 2 and 4 are slid along the direction of the longitudinal axis Ax(p) of the piping P to position the first and second fittings 2 and 4. The information conversion mechanism is one of specific functions of the guide portions that guide the relative positioning between the first and second fittings 2 and 4 in the direction of the longitudinal axis Ax(p) of the piping P, and the configuration of the information conversion mechanism is one of specific configurations of the guide portions.
When applying the first and second fittings 2 and 4 to the piping P having a given diameter, the pair of first arm portions 62 of the first fitting 2 are preferably adjacent to and parallel to the pair of second arm portions 56 of the second fitting 4 corresponding thereto to realize the above information conversion mechanism smoothly. Further preferably, the pair of first arm portions 62 of the first fitting 2 are parallel to each other, and the pair of second arm portions 56 of the second fitting 4 are parallel to each other.
Referring to
As described above, the second position regulating portion 54 of the second fitting 4 preferably has a symmetrical shape in a cross-section along a direction crossing across the piping P with respect to the second mother line GL2, and preferably, has a shape formed to come into contact with the piping at the positions CL(2) at the same distance apart from the second mother line GL2. Typically, the second position regulating portion 54 preferably has a shape having a pair of molded inclined wing portions extending toward one side and the other side with respect to the second mother line GL2 at a predetermined angle. This is the same for the first position regulating portion 60 of the first fitting 2.
When fixing the first fitting 2 and the second fitting 4 to the piping P, the following positioning is performed automatically.
(1) Paired combination between the inclined slits 58 and the pins 64 have functions for converting the first information to the second information as described above. The first information is information on the diameter of the piping P. The second information is information on a predetermined adequate distance between the first and second fittings 2 and 4 along the direction of the longitudinal axis of the piping P. Relative position between the first fitting 2 and the second fitting 4 facing each other with the piping P interposed therebetween is the information on the diameter of the piping P. The first information is converted into the second information by the pins 64 guided by the inclined slits 58 in the direction of the longitudinal axis Ax(p) of the piping P, and the second fitting 4 is positioned by an angle of inclination of the inclined slits 58, that is, by an angle from the diameter direction of the piping P at an adequate distance along the direction of the longitudinal axis Ax(p) of the piping P from the first fitting 2.
(2) The inclined slits 58 and the pins 64 are disposed respectively on the pair of first arm portions 62 and the pair of second arm portions 56 of the first and second fittings 2 and 4, which are molds, and the corresponding first and second arm portions 62 and 56 are positioned adjacently to each other. Therefore, even when the first and second fittings 2 and 4 are applied to piping P having different diameters, the aforesaid positioning in the diameter direction of the first and second sensor units 6 and 8 are maintained.
(3) The inclined slits 58 and the pins 64 are disposed respectively on the pair of first arm portions 62 and the pair of second arm portions 56 of the first and second fittings 2 and 4, which are molds, and the corresponding first and second arm portions 62 and 56 are positioned adjacently to each other. Therefore, even when the first and second fittings 2 and 4 are applied to piping P having different diameters, the positioning of the first and second sensor units 6 and 8 on the aforesaid first and second mother lines GL1 and GL2 (
Referring to
Referring continuously to
The second sensor unit 8 is fastened to the second fitting 4 by using second bolts Bt(2). The direction of fastening of the second bolts Bt(2) is a direction of press contact of the second sensor unit 8 with respect to the piping P, that is, the diameter direction of the piping. Therefore, by tightening the second bolts Bt(2), the second sensor unit 8 is brought into press contact with the piping P.
As preferable mode, at least the second fitting 4 is provided with biasing members 66 that bias the second sensor unit 8 in the direction of coming into press contact with the piping P. In the first embodiment, the biasing members 66 include a plurality of disc springs (
The plurality of disc springs 66 may be arranged in a first disc spring array in which every one or more disc springs are inverted upside down as illustrated in
By adding the biasing members 66 to the second fitting 4, the second fitting 4 and the first fitting 2 having the Z-shaped arrangement may be attached to the piping P in a state of facing one side of the piping P. Specific steps will be described below.
(Step 1) Assemble the second sensor unit 8 to the second fitting 4 (
(Step 2) Assemble the first sensor unit 6 to the first fitting 2 in the same manner as in Step 1.
(Step 3) Provisionally fix the second fitting 4 having the second sensor unit 8 mounted thereon to the piping P, and provisionally fix the first fitting 2 having the first sensor unit 6 mounted thereon to the piping P in a state in which an operator faces the piping P. This provisional fixation may be performed by using the bands Bd(1) and Bd(2). In the state of being provisionally fixed, the second sensor unit 8 is in the state of being biased toward the peripheral surface of the piping P by the disc springs 66 of the second fitting 4. The second fitting 4 is positioned on the opposite side of the piping P when viewed from the operator.
(Step 4) Confirm that two pins 64 of the first fitting 2 are correctly positioned in two inclined slits 58 of the second fitting 4, then tighten the bands Bd(1) and Bd(2) firmly to fix the first and second fittings 2 and 4 to the piping P.
Accordingly, by the cooperation of the inclined slits 58 of the first fitting 2 and the pins 64 of the second fitting 4, the first sensor unit 6 is positioned on the first mother line GL1, and the second sensor unit 8 is positioned on the second mother line GL2. The first and second sensor units 6 and 8 are located apart from each other along the direction of the longitudinal axis Ax (p) of the piping P, and the distance is properly adjusted. The second sensor unit 8 is brought into a press contact state with respect to the peripheral surface of the piping P by the disc springs 66 of the second fitting 4.
Assembly of the first sensor unit 6 to the first fitting 2 in Step 2 may be performed after the step for fixing the first and second fittings 2 and 4 to the piping P in Step S4 described above. Fixing the first sensor unit 6 to the first fitting 2 by using the bolt Bt(1), a state in which the first sensor unit 6 is brought into a press contact with the piping P by the fixation of the bolt Bt(1) is achieved.
The first and second sensor units included in an ultrasonic flow sensor system 200 illustrated in
The ultrasonic flow sensor system 200 includes first and second fittings 202 and 204, and the first and second sensor units 6 and 8 may be attached to the peripheral surface of the piping P by using the two fittings 202 and 204. The ultrasonic flow sensor system 200 is an attachment system suitable for the Z-shaped arrangement.
The piping P or the fluid flowing in the piping P are not specifically limited for the application of the second embodiment. However, a typical example of application will be listed below.
(1) Diameter of Piping P: 100 mm to 220 mm (Suitable diameter of Piping P: approximately 114 mm to approximately 216 mm)
(2) Material of Piping P: steel, SUS, copper, polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
(3) Fluid: water, oil, drug solution, antifreeze (ethylene glycol), coolant
Referring now to
The second arm portions 208 are bendable in the circumferential direction along the cross-sectional circle of the piping P. Specifically, the second arm portions 208 are formed of a bendable plate member, preferably a punched metal. With the second arm portions 208 formed of the punched metal, reduction in weight of the second arm portions 208 is achieved while securing a predetermined rigidity of the second arm portions 208.
The second position regulating portion 206 has a symmetrical shape with the second mother line GL2 interposed therebetween as clearly understood from
Referring to
Metallic bands Bd(3) are attached to one end and the other end of the second arm portions 208 formed of punched metal in the direction of the longitudinal axis Ax(p) of the piping P (
The first fitting 202 includes a first position regulating portion 220 (
The first fitting 202 and the second fitting 204 are different from each other at two points as described below.
(1) The first arm portions 222 of the first fitting 202 are shorter than the second arm portions 208 of the second fitting 204 in the direction in length along the direction of the longitudinal axis Ax(p) of the piping P.
(2) The aforesaid inclined slits 58 are formed on the first arm portions 222 of the first fitting 202, and the pins 64 of the second fitting 204 are arranged in the inclined slits 58.
In this second embodiment as well, the first and second fittings 202 and 204 may provide a function of converting first information to second information by the inclined slits 58 and the pins 64. The first information is information on the diameter of the piping P on which the first and second fittings 202 and 204 are fitted. The second information is information on adequate distance between the first and second fittings 202 and 204 along the direction of the longitudinal axis Ax(p) of the piping P. Therefore, the first and second fittings 202 and 204 are positioned by the inclined slits 58 and the pins 64 at an adequate distance along the direction of the longitudinal axis Ax(p) of the piping P.
The first and second fittings 202 and 204 have a function to position the first sensor unit 6 on the first mother line GL1 (
The ultrasonic flow sensor system 200 of the second embodiment allows the first and second sensor units 6 and 8 to be installed by using the first and second fittings 202 and 204 in a state in which the operator faces the piping P from one side. The procedure of the operation and contents of the operation are as follows.
(Step 1) Assemble the second sensor unit 8 to the second fitting 204 (
(Step 2) Provisionally fix the second fitting 204 having the second sensor unit 8 mounted thereon to the piping P in a state in which the operator faces the piping P. This provisional fixation may be performed by using the bands Bd (3) of the second fitting 204. In the state of being provisionally fixed, the second sensor unit 8 is in the state of being biased toward the peripheral surface of the piping P by the disc springs 66 of the second fitting 204.
(Step 3) Rotate the second fitting 204 in the circumferential direction of the piping P to position the second fitting 204 on the opposite side of the piping P when viewed from the operator.
(Step 4) Assemble the first sensor unit 6 to the first fitting 202 in the same manner as the case of the second fitting 204 although
(Step 5) Provisionally fix the first fitting 202 having the first sensor unit 6 mounted thereon to the piping P in a state in which the operator faces the piping P. This provisional fixation may be performed by using the bands Bd(4) of the first fitting 202 (
(Step 6) Fix the second fitting 204 to the piping P. Fix the first fitting 202 to the piping P. Accordingly, the first sensor unit 6 is positioned on the first mother line GL1. The second sensor unit 8 is positioned on the second mother line GL2. The first and second sensor units 6 and 8 are placed apart from each other along the direction of the longitudinal axis Ax(p) of the piping P, and the distance is properly adjusted. The first sensor unit 6 is brought into a state being biased toward the peripheral surface of the piping P by the disc springs 66 of the first fitting 202. In the same manner, the second sensor unit 8 is brought into a state being biased toward the peripheral surface of the piping P by the disc springs 66 of the second fitting 204.
As is understood immediately from the description above, the first and second sensor units 6 and 8 may be adequately placed on the piping P in the Z-shaped arrangement while continuing the state in which the operator faces the piping P. In other words, the operator does not have to move around the piping P for assembling the first and second sensor units 6 and 8 adequately to the first and second mother lines GL1 and GL2 facing the diameter direction of the piping P. Therefore, even in the working environment such that a plurality of the piping P are arrayed side by side, the first and second sensor units 6 and 8 may be installed easily.
Although the preferred first embodiment and second embodiment of the invention have been described thus far, the invention is not limited to the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, and the following modifications are included.
(1) The ultrasonic flow sensor included in the invention may include a heat detection surface 70 as illustrated in
The heat detection surface 70 projects in the direction of coming into press contact with the piping P compared with the first sensor portion 44 (first wedge member 46) positioned adjacent to the heat detection surface 70. An amount of projection is set so that a rubber sheet (elastic solid couplant Cp) interposed between the first sensor portion 44 and the piping P is in an adequately compressed state, In other words, the heat detection surface 70 formed of the SUS material limits an amount of collapse of the elastic solid couplant Cp between the first sensor portion 44 and the piping P, which ensures the couplant Cp to adequately function as an acoustic coupling medium.
The flow rate data on the fluid in the piping P and the temperature data of the fluid with the intermediary of the piping P may be read out by an external PC 88 via a communication part 102. The data is converted into data of, for example, RS232C by a communication converting part 104, and is output to the external PC 88 via a communication connector 106.
As display on the display unit 38, the illustrative combinations may be listed as follows.
(a) “flow rate” and “temperature”
(b) “temperature” and “calorific value (calories)”
(c) “flow rate” and “calorific value (calories)”
The aforesaid calorific value (calories) may be obtained from the fluid temperature, that is, the piping temperature and the flow rate. The aforesaid (a) to (c) are preferably selectable and/or switchable by the user.
As described above, by adding a temperature detecting function to the first sensor unit 6, that is, to the ultrasonic flow sensor 10, the ultrasonic flow sensor has two functions, namely, a first function as a flow sensor and a second function as a thermometer. Therefore, as described above, detection results detected by these first and second functions may be output. In other words, whether or not the coolant flows through the piping P and, if yes, whether a sufficient amount of coolant flows or not may be displayed or may be output to the outside by OK or NG based on the comparison with a predetermined threshold value.
(2) In the first embodiment, the first and second fittings 2 and 4 are both formed of molds and the arm portions 62 and 56 are formed of molded plate members. In contrast, in the second embodiment, the arm portions 222 and 208 of the first and second fittings 202 and 204 are formed of plate members bendable in the circumferential direction of the piping P. For example, a configuration in which the first arm portions 62 of the first fitting 2 of the first embodiment are formed of a bendable plate member, and a combination of the first fitting of a modification and the second fitting 4 of the first embodiment may be employed as a modification of the invention is applicable. In other words, a configuration in which the arm portion of one of the two fittings is formed of a member bendable in the circumferential direction of the piping P, and the arm portion of the other fitting is formed of a mold is also applicable.
(3) In the second embodiment, as schematically illustrated in
(4) In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, a combination of the pins 64 and the inclined slits 58, that is, a method of guiding the pins 64 by the inclined slits 58 is illustrated as the guide portion (information conversion mechanism). Alternatively, the guide portion (information conversion mechanism) including first and second inclined surfaces 90 and 92 as illustrated in
The two inclined surfaces 90 and 92 illustrated in
The first fitting 96, the second fitting 98, and the base member 94 constitute a fitting unit for the V-shaped arrangement. Referring now to
(5) In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, a combination of the pins 64 and the inclined slits 58, that is, a method of guiding the pins 64 by the inclined slits 58 are illustrated as the information conversion mechanism. As a modification, a slidable recession/projection fitting between an inclined recessed groove and an inclined projection ridge to be received in the inclined recessed groove may be employed instead of the pins 64 and the inclined slits 58.
(6) Referring to
(7) The modification (6) described above which properly adjusting the distance (the distance in the direction of the longitudinal axis Ax(p) of the piping P) between the first fitting 2 (first sensor unit 6) and the second fitting 4 (second sensor unit 8) by one of the edges 58a of the inclined slits 58 may be applied to the second embodiment in the same manner as the first embodiment.
(8) The above-described modification (6) (
As illustrated in
More specifically, the first sensor unit 6 (the first fitting which holds the first sensor unit 6) is pressed against the piping P via the first position regulating portion 60, and the second sensor unit 8 (the second fitting which holds the second sensor unit 8) is pressed against the piping P via the second position regulating portion 54. In a state of simply pressed, the pins 65 and the inclined walls 91 are apart from each other by a predetermined distance as illustrated in
(9) In the first modification (8) described above, the pins 64 projecting outward are provided on the first arm portions 62. However, the invention is not limited thereto, and, for example, hook-shaped contact portions may be provided as a guide portion at ends of the first arm portions 62. A second modification will be described with reference to
More specifically, the operation is the same as that described above with reference to
Kashima, Hiroshi, Makino, Kazuhiro
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